Lupe Fiasco Escorted Offstage For Anti-Obama Rant During Inauguration Party

Human rights activist and Hip-Hop artist, Lupe Fiasco, was asked to leave the stage during his performance at an inauguration party in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, reports Politico.com.

For about 40 minutes, the outspoken Obama critic repeated lyrics from his controversial song, “Words I Never Said,” which include lyrics sharply rebuking the president for his support of Israel’s violent military occupation of Palestine:

“Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist,” Lupe rapped. “Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say s—t. That’s why I ain’t vote for him, next one either.”

Foreign Policy reporter, Josh Rogin, shared the unexpected development in real time on Twitter:

So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn't vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song.—
Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013

Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go.—
Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013

See video below:

Though HyperVocal and StartUp Rock On, the organizers of the event, initially voiced disappointment that Lupe chose their event to make a political statement, they later insisted that he “was NOT kicked off stage for an anti-Obama rant.”

StartUp RockOn is all about startups helping startups. At Sunday night’s Inauguration Celebration at the Hamilton Live, organizers set out to honor innovative visionaries with grants, accolades and a party worthy of the success we achieved at the RNC and DNC this summer.

Lupe Fiasco performed at this private event, and as you may have read, he left the stage earlier than we had planned. But Lupe Fiasco was not “kicked off stage” for an “anti-Obama rant.” We are staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act. Lupe Fiasco repeated the one song for more than 40 minutes.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Lupe made national headlines when he called the president a “terrorist” and a “baby killer.”

“One hand, you have someone who is a great speaker, but kills little children—our president,” Lupe told Philadelphia’s Power 99. “I’m talking about ordering a drone attack. Ordering drone attacks that go and kill mothers, innocent bystanders, children. Militants, too, but the collateral damage. You’re responsible for that, too.

“Drug dealers can say the same thing, Lupe continued. “‘I didn’t mean to kill all the people in the restaurant. I was just trying to get that one dude who killed my cousin. Just so happened that that little girl was there.’ Same thing.”